It’s that time of year. Property appraisal notices are hitting mailboxes across North Texas this week. The evaluations can often take homeowners by surprise. “Every year, what we see is a lot of people get these notices and not many people know what to do with them,” said Compass real es tate agent Ben Lauer. The Dallas realtor has been helping homeowners protest their appraisals for free for the last eight years. He’s set to help 500 homeowners this spring. The deadline to apply for his services has already passed. Lauer believes homeowners should protest their appraisal every year. Often, a simple call with an appraiser can yield savings and avoid the more intimidating formal hearing, he said. “A lot of these things are reviewed by an algorithm and so they don’t always get the human review,” Lauer said. “But if you put in for a property tax review, a lot of times they’ll look at your file and sometimes you get an automatic reduction.” Lauer said to make sure you’re taking advantage of a homestead exemption. It caps how much of your value is taxable and helps you save money every year. This week, many Tarrant County residents will receive a postcard stating their value remains the same as last year, unless it involves new construction or new improvement value. That’s because the Tarrant County Appraisal District’s Board of Directors adopted a reappraisal plan that froze residential values for the 2025 tax year, though property owners still have the right to protest. “We know property taxes are a burden for all Texans – we are happy to offer this bit of tax relief in Tarrant County,” said Rick Barnes, Chairman of the Tarrant Appraisal District Board of Directors, in a statement. Many other North Texas homeowners will see their evaluation rise as DFW property values keep climbing. In some Dallas neighborhoods, longtime residents find their land value rapidly rising as more developers buy up older homes to tear down and build new. “We do see that property values are shifting and putting more priority on land values and it’s much harder to protest,” said Lauer. Both the Dallas Central Appraisal District and the Tarrant Appraisal District have set a deadline to file a protest by May 15, 2025. You can hire a company to protest for you or do it yourself, but be ready with information. As NBC5 Responds has reported in the past you’ll want to know what comparable homes in your neighborhood sold for in 2024. You’ll also want to have quotes of major repairs your home may need like to the foundation or the HVAC system. That’s all the information an appraiser would not have access to when evaluating your property. Lauer also reminds people who plan to protest to be kind. “When you speak to the appraiser, be nice. Those people are having stressful days. It’s busy for them,” he said. ...read more read less